The Ballerina Princess
by Anju Addams
Summary: Once upon a time, there was an ugly duckling that became a beautiful ballerina who, with the help of a steadfast soldier saved the heart of a mysterious prince from a terrible Raven and slowly fell in love. But their happiness was shattered when a curse cast by an Evil Queen separates them for 28 years. Can Ahiru and Fakir find each other again? [AU]
1. Episode 1: The Ugly Duckling

**_AN 23/07/2015: _**_What's this? An update! Yes, I'm back to writing this story once more, starting with a massive update to the first chapter, including grammar and plot changes!_

_So this story will be AU to some events in OUAT, most noticeably those in Season 3 and 4 and as such some characters may be changed completely. This isn't because I hated Season 3 and 4 at all (actually I loved them completely and can't wait for Season 5) there are things I want to do in this story that cannot be done in canon._

_I'm also going to try to add in much more Disney characters and I may sneak in a few from other sources. I have also added a new characters page to the end of every chapter that will hold information about the various residents and their fairytale counterparts. If a character has not had both versions of themselves shown within the story they will not be added until so. This will also not been show until their fully backstories are portrayed, as several characters will be composites of others._

_I hope you enjoy the new and improved version!_

_**AN 29/01/2016:** Fixed some story format issues and changed some wrong parts._

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**

**_The Ugly Duckling/Pilot_**

**_by Anju Addams._**

* * *

_"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy their fate be granted glory."_

_\- Princess Tutu._

* * *

_Once upon a Time, there was an old man in a magical forest, who wrote the most wonderful fairy tales. _

_These stories became renowned around the world, and so the man wrote more. But just as he was finishing his last story, he died. _

_The last story he was writing was about a brave and handsome prince who battled a monstrous raven. It seemed like the story would never end, but one day, both Prince and Raven escaped from the pages of the story, yet the battle continued and in the end the Prince used his own heart to seal away the Raven. _

_And so, the Prince bereft of his heart, vanished into the fog alongside his loyal knight. But the old man who had died was not satisfied with the story's end, and so with all his power, he began to write a new story..._

* * *

_Enchanted Forest (2 Years Before Curse)_

When it began, on that warm and sunny summer's day, none of the people involved could have ever believed something like this would happen. It began with a twist of fate, when an old dog who had been walking along the riverbank grew too curious and invaded a swan's nest. The frenzied expectant mother in her haste to protect the eggs, never saw that an single one had been knocked loose in the scuffle, and began to tumble down the hill, closer to the river's edge.

It so happened, that the swan's egg managed to roll its way into the nest of a nearby duck, whom was oblivious to the eggs true nature, and she kept it warm, day after day surrounded by the shells of other eggs. It wasn't that long after that they began to hatch. Slowly, the newborn ducklings struggled their way out of the shells, waddling over to the warmth of their mother. Eventually, the only egg left was that of the wayward swan, and so the little ones and their mother waited patiently to welcome the last member of their family.

For hours they waited, and eventually the mother duck began to lose all hope, when finally small cracks appeared upon the shell and it rocked as they baby inside tried to break free. After a short time, the newborn pushed her way from the egg and crawled out. Both mother and children were shocked by the strange sight in front of them.

With strange grey feathers and a build noticeably larger than that of her siblings, the newborn was not a pretty picture. The mother could not understand what was wrong and though she thought long and hard she could not find an answer. After all, she had looked after the egg in the same way as all the others. The siblings could hardly stare at the ugly creature in front of them, ashamed to even call it part of their family.

Many years passed and the young ducklings spent their time by playing in the river, frolicking and laughing, but all was not good as the ugly little duckling showed no signs of stopping and grew larger and larger. It wasn't long until they began to tease her mercilessly. At first, it was comments to her unnatural colour and then her size until the ducklings began to exclude her from their games even going as far as to chase her away back to the nest. Even when her own mother was told, she was ignored completely. Slowly but surely, the ugly duckling began to grow seriously depressed.

_It wasn't my fault I was born differently. _she concluded. _So, what is wrong with me?_ These questions echoed in her head and as the days went by and the bullying grew stronger, her resolve grew.

She was going to run away.

So, one day in the dead of night just after her sixteenth birthday, when everyone was asleep, the ugly duckling slipped away and fled downstream, paddling as fast as her little legs could take her. For hours, she followed the river until the sun had risen and set once more, until finally in the distance she could see the great walls that surrounded a great town. Unbeknownst to her, she had swam so far that she had come across a distant isolated kingdom far away from any others. Swimming close to the walls that stretched so far above her, she noticed a small hidden piece of grating that she was small enough to slip through. Passing in, she found herself in a large lonely lake at the very edge of town.

_What a beautiful little place to stay. _she thought. _There's no one to tease me anymore!_

It was at that point the little duckling realised just how far she had swam and how tired she was, and with a great yawn she snuggled into some of the reeds upon the riverbank and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When her eyes opened once more, a fog had settled across the lake creating an eerie feeling. It was so thick that it had blocked out the sun the was just rising over the town walls. She rubbed her eyes with her wings before she heard voices in the distance. Startled, she hid herself further in the plants, peeking out at the shadows that grew closer. As they passed through the fog and into her view she almost gasped at what she saw.

Two young men, about seventeen stood on the lakeshore. The first boy had the most beautiful hair she had ever seen. Even with the fog surrounding them, it shone a pure white, like fresh snow, matching the leotard he wore. His eyes were like emeralds, yet the sparkle that was normally held within was absent and he permanently held the expression of being half asleep.

But still the duckling was entranced. _Why are his eyes like that?_

The other boy was dressed very differently, he was clad in a shining silver armour that had obviously been well cared for. Strapped to his side, she could see a large sword.

_Some kind of knight?_

A mop of black hair was tied into a long ponytail and in contrast to the expressionless boy from before, he was wearing a stern look upon his face. Currently, that stare was directed to the white haired one who didn't even seem to notice.

"Prince Siegfried, are you really sure you want to do this? I mean with your weak constitution, you could very well..." the knightly one stressed, his face visibly strained.

_So he's a Prince...How wonderful!_

"It's fine." spoke the Prince, shortly. "I'm going to dance."

With a long and resigned sigh, the knight bowed low. "Very well, Your Majesty. You may dance, but that is _all _you will do. Nothing else, understand? You know how the Princess worries about you..."

"I understand."

It was at that point that the little duck noticed the strange way the Prince had been speaking. In only short bursts and never giving away any sort of emotion that he was feeling. It troubled her.

With another sigh, the knight turned sharply on his heels and began to walk away, his figure being swallowed by the fog, before he disappeared entirely. His voice rang out through the mist.

"I'll get the maids to pick you up later. Be careful."

As she watched with captivated eyes, the Prince began to dance with a practised ease, his long legs easily supporting him as he preformed what looked like a series of complex moves.

_I wish I could do that...but I'm too clumsy._

Even though the boy danced beautifully, not once did a sparkle appear in his eyes and his mouth stayed in a thin line. She continued to watch as the sun rose higher in the sky and the mists began to clear and it wasn't long before she noticed some figures striding down the path towards them.

It was two young girls, one with long pink hair tied in a sharp ponytail, dressed in a maid's outfit and another with blonder hair tied in pigtails. They stopped in front of the Prince, and like the knight before, they both bowed.

"Your Highness, Sir Fakir has asked us to return you to the castle. The Princess Kraehe is beginning to get restless." informed the pink haired one.

The Prince halted mid-step and turned to her. "I am coming." he affirmed.

The three figures set off down the road and once again, the duckling was left all alone. For a few hours she swam around the lake and ate a few small weeds that were growing around her before she settled down for the night, in her bed of reeds. Soon, her thoughts turned towards the Prince.

_What a beautiful dancer. I wish I could dance with him..._

In her dreams, she imagined the figure of a young girl who was dancing with the Prince, her features hidden in shadow and she sighed contently. The wonderful dream didn't last long as she was woken by a harsh cry and her eyes snapped open.

She almost screamed, only just composing herself to look up at the raven that had nestled itself in the nearby tree. It's coal black eyes pierced her own, before it let out another cry and flew away. She chuckled to herself nervously, her heart racing.

The crunching of gravel alerted her and she turned to see the Prince and the knight striding down the same path as before, once again halting in front of the lake.

"Prince Siegfried, are you really sure you want to do this? I mean with your weak constitution, you could very well..." the knightly one stressed, his face visibly strained.

_Wait..._

"It's fine." spoke the Prince, shortly. "I'm going to dance."

With a long and resigned sigh, the knight bowed low. "Very well, Your Majesty. You may dance, but that is _all _you will do. Nothing else, understand? You know how the Princess worries about you..."

"I understand."

_What on earth?_

With another sigh, the knight turned sharply on his heels and began to walk away.

"I'll get the maids to pick you up later. Be careful."

_What was that all about? That was exactly like yesterday!?_

With a growing suspicion, she watched as the Prince began to preform the exact same dance routine as yesterday morning. Not once, did he even vary from the steps he practised and she watched as the same pair of maids came to pick him up again, hours later.

And so, every day without fail, both the Prince and the Knight came to the lake, their actions repeating over and over, never wavering. Even as the days grew colder and shorter and snow began to fall on the lake, the Prince continued his dance. But some things did change, the little duckling had been watching for so long that her sadness could only grow deeper.

And there were the ravens.

As the days passed the raven had returned to sit upon the branch it had left, but slowly, as the days went by, there were two, then three. Eventually the tree seemed to be covered in pitch black leaves by the amount of ravens that sat there. Thankfully, they left her alone and vanished away during the night to parts unknown.

_Why is he like this? I want to help him, but I'm just a duck in voice and in look._ she mourned, one snowy day. _Those eyes that always look so lonely, there's got to be a reason right? If there was only some way._

_If I could do something._

_I would die for him..._

Then out of nowhere came a booming voice, that caused her to let out a startled quack and flee back into the safety of her reeds.

_**"****Well**** now, you care for him? A little duck like you?"**_

"Quack?" she said, head poking out of her hiding place, looking around rapidly, but the lake was devoid of any life. She turned to put her head back inside and got the fright of her life.

There, floating above her, was a large pair of emerald green eyes and a grin so wide that the shining white teeth within looked like tombstones.

"Quuaaaack!"

* * *

_Storybrooke (30 years later)_

The sunlight streamed through the window of the dormitory, illuminating the small figure in the bed. Drool escaped from the mouth of the eighteen year old girl who snorted in her sleep, her eyelids twitching and her waist length brown hair tangled around her, before she shot up screaming.

"A ghost!" she shouted, her body crashing onto the hardwood floor. She lay there dazed for a few moments, before she picked herself up, a yawn escaping from her mouth.

_It's morning already? But I hardly got any sleep..._

With a groan, she began to slouch over to the wardrobe before the door to her room was harshly slammed open, the knob crashing into the wall.

"Ahiru! You've only just gotten up!? How can you be so lazy?" cried the girl who had just walked in, her pink ponytail flying behind her, and in a similar coloured leotard. Another girl was behind her, wearing the same outfit, her curly blonde hair tied into pigtails. At the scene in front of her, she giggled lightly.

"It's not funny Lily. Ahiru, you've got _twenty_ minutes before class starts. You need to get a move on!" she commanded. "I have to tell you this every day and you still can't get it through your thick skull?" To prove her point, she sharply rapped Ahiru's head, earning both an "Ow!" and a second giggle from Lily.

"Sorry Pike." Ahiru groaned, clutching her throbbing head. "But, I can't hel..." she cut herself off.

"Did you say _twenty_! Oh my God, I'm gonna be so late!" she wailed, shoving both Pike and Lily out of the door, despite their enraged protests. "See you soon, gotta get ready!"

She dashed into the bathroom and let the shower warm up as she stripped off her nightgown and rushed over to the wardrobe to pull out her leotard, before she stepped into the shower. She quickly washed her hair and in five minutes, she emerged to dry herself, before heading over to the large mirror on the wall to brush her hair free of it's tangles and tying it up in its customary ponytail. She almost ran out of the door in her towel, before she remembered to dress into her leotard.

Finally, she managed to make it out, picking up the schoolbag on the floor behind her, and locking the door shut. She ran down the steps, jumping a few at a time and exited the dorms onto the academy's courtyard. She could just make out the dance hall in the distance.

_I can make it!_ she cheered.

Gold Crown Academy was a premier dance school, in the quaint town of Storybrooke, Maine. Ahiru had lived there her whole life, when as a baby, she had been sadly orphaned. Eventually, she'd moved out of the orphanage and managed to obtain a position at the school, though not without sacrifice. In order to remain at the school, she'd had to take up two jobs, both as equally demanding.

One of those jobs was looking after the mayor of Storybrooke's son. Thankfully, Henry Mills was nothing like his uptight and strict mother and the two were able to strike up a small friendship. Even if he did believe that everyone in town was a fairytale character, her included. When Ahiru wasn't busy, she managed to spend time with her friends over at Granny's Dinner. Both Eileen and Stacy were extremely kind people and to be honest, she was kind of humbled that they would want to be friends with her, the stereotypical klutzy ditz.

The ringing of a bell brought her out of her thoughts and with an extra burst of speed she ploughed through the doors of the dance hall. Luckily, she noticed that even though the other students had arrived, their teacher was still absent. She let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the nearby bench to catch her breath.

"There you are, Ahiru!" began Pike, who had begun to head over, followed closely by Lily. "We thought you wouldn't make it on time."

"Sorry guys." she apologised. "At least I managed to get here without tripping up."

"Yeah." Lily snickered. "I'm sure Rue would have something nasty to say to you if you were."

Ahiru grimaced. Rue, was a fellow student at Gold Crown. Both rich in looks and money, she looked down at anyone below her including Ahiru and tormented her every moment that they spent in the same room. It didn't help that she was one of the better dancers in the academy and that she was the girlfriend of Ahiru's longtime crush.

The doors to the dance hall opened once more and the students looked over to see their dance instructor stepping inside. He was a tall man of about forty, with slightly greying hair. A piercing set of green eyes set above a stern grimace tracked them across the room. True to his name, Mr. Felixis was cat in nature and in looks.

"Settle down now." he said as he marched into the hall. "I will have _no_ distractions in my lessons, is that clear?"

"Yes Sir!" the students chorused.

"Good." his lips twitching into an almost smirk. "Today's lesson shouldn't be too difficult for you. After all, we will only be practising with the barres." He clapped his hands together rapidly. "Line up! Line up!"

It was nearing the end of the lesson, that Ahiru inevitably messed up. She had, along with rest of the class, been practising some of the positions for the new dance routine that they would be following. She'd been doing well, she hadn't managed to mess up once and the teacher had asked them to move into the third position again when it happened.

She was abruptly pulled away from the classroom and her head almost exploded with agony as a veritable waterfall of sounds and voices battered at her brain.

_"Who are you?"_

_"I-I am the Princess Odette."_

_"What do you know? You're just a stupid old duck!"_

_"His heart is missing. Gone."_

_"Zura!"_

**_"The only story ever worth telling to anyone is a tragedy."_**

_"He's...he's my father."_

_"Ahiru!"_

"AHIRU!" she yelped, jumping about a foot in the air and she suddenly found herself back in the classroom. She twisted round to see the teacher looming over her shoulder.

"You're mind was somewhere else wasn't it?" he demanded. "If you do not focus...then I will have choice but to remove you from my classroom."

She quickly bended, copying the position that the others held. "I-I'm sorry sir!" A few feet away, an extremely pretty black haired girl called out towards her.

"That's Ahiru for you. With her head always in the clouds, she might as well be a bird! Or a duck." It wasn't long before all of her classmates were laughing with the girl too.

_Ooh, that Rue! _she steamed.

* * *

After that disastrous class, she'd changed out of her leotard into a nice pair of jeans and a pink shirt, she'd headed over to Granny's Diner to have lunch and meet up with Eileen and Stacy, since she thankfully had the day off work. The bell above the door ringing as she walked in giving the waitress, Granny's granddaughter Ruby a small smile with she returned with her wide grin.

"Ahiru, over here!"

Glancing in the direction of the voice she spotted both of her friends already sitting at the table, drinks in place. She gave a small wave before she headed over to sit with them. Compared to both Pike and Lily, Eileen and Stacy were much more easy to handle and she didn't have to stop them from getting into any sort of trouble. Eileen was a pretty blonde haired girl who seemed adverse to wearing anything that wasn't a long pink skirt. Out of the three, she seemed to be the designated leader, seeing as she was one year older than the over two and had an air of maturity they didn't. She did however have one strange quirk, more often than not she would go barefoot, and when asked why, simply stated that 'shoes are too much of a hassle.'

Stacy on the other hand was much more quiet than either of them, and was generally very shy around strangers. When she spoke, however rarely, you could hear the distinct Russian influx in her voice, a carry over from the place her parents had adopted her from when she was very young. Whereas Eileen tended to dress in long flowing skirts, Stacy liked to wear giant faux fur coats like it was the middle of winter and this combined with her extremely pale skin, cut an odd sight in Storybrooke indeed.

"Gotcha this." chirped Eileen, sliding over a coffee. Ahiru snatched it up with a quick "Thanks." and gulped it down ferociously. Eileen studied her closely before asking.

"Is something wrong, Ahiru?" she asked gently, her voice brimming with concern. "You look down."

"It was that Rue again!" Ahiru growled, slamming her hand into the table. "She always makes fun of me! Ooh, I'm so fed up."

Stacy quietly snorted, making the other two turn to her. "I vouldn't vorry, she'll get her comeuppance in the end. They alvays do." Both Eileen and Ahiru stared at each other for a moment, each as equally confused.

_Why does she say that? _they both thought in perfect synchronisation.

Ahiru opened her mouth to ask just that as she was interrupted by the ringing of her mobile phone and she fumbled around in her bag for it, before she managed to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Ahiru! There you are!" came to frantic voice of her employer.

"M-Mayor Mills?"

"Where's Henry?" came the accusatory tone. "Is he with you?"

Ahiru felt rather confused. "No...today's my day off." she spoke slowly. "I haven't seen him since Sunday."

She had to wince for a moment as a sharp stream of curses came from the mayor's lips. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh course it is you stupid girl!" the mayor barked back. "Henry's missing!"

Ahiru lept up from the table, almost knocking the drinks off if it wasn't for the quick hands of Eileen. "W-Wha-" she stammered. "I'll be right over!"

"Sorry guys, I'll see you later!"

* * *

True to her word, Ahiru had shown up on the doorstep, just a few moments later. She hadn't even had time to catch her breath before she was pulled inside by the mayor herself, Regina Mills. Regina wasn't alone however, she'd been joined by the local sheriff Graham. Of course, Ahiru had heard the rumours about what kind of 'relationship' there was between him and the mayor, but she thought it better not to ask. She didn't want Regina to blow up in her face, or worse, fire her.

Regina had demanded that the two of them search the town for anywhere her wayward son might have gone and so for several hours, both Ahiru and Graham had searched the entirety of the little town. She'd looked everywhere, the docks, the school, she'd even checked Henry's secret place, but no such luck. It was like he'd left town entirely.

With nothing else left to do, they had rejoined back at Regina's and they were just milling around in the kitchen trying to comfort the hysterical mother, when they all heard the car pull up.

Regina wrenched the door open and rushed outside, Ahiru and the sheriff hot on her heels. She noticed two figures standing on the path outside the house. One was a woman she had never seen before, dressed in jeans and a distinctive red jacket and the other was...

"Henry! Henry, are you okay?" Regina questioned, just as she reached him. "Where have you been? Are you okay?" She bent down to give him a hug, before he suddenly pulled free and gave her an angry glare.

"I found my _real _Mom!" he declared, brushing past Ahiru and Graham into the house.

Regina's face paled drastically and she whirled around to the stranger. "You're Henry's birth mother?"

The woman raised her hand in greeting awkwardly. "Hi." she spoke sheepishly.

The four of them stood around for a few moments of silence, before Graham coughed, drawing all attention to him. "I'll...just..go and check on the lad." he nodded to himself. "Make sure he's okay." and he disappeared through the door. Regina turned back towards the strange woman.

"How'd you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" she questioned. Henry's birth mother raised an eyebrow.

"Got anything stronger?" she joked.

With a smirk, Regina turned around and strode back into the house, leaving both Ahiru and the woman staring at each other. Ahiru gave her a small wave.

"So you're Henry's birth mother?" she asked.

"Yes. It's Swan, Emma Swan." She held out a hand. Ahiru stared down at it for a second before she realised.

"Oh! I'm Ahiru." she grasped Emma's hand and shook it briefly. "Henry's babysitter." she clarified. She looked back at the house and then again at Emma. "You should go inside. I've got to go now." she said as she walked past Emma and onto the street.

"See you around, I guess."

Not bothering to wait for a reply, she set off at a brisk pace back to the Academy dormitory. It wasn't long before she arrived and she only just managed to pull on her nightgown, before she collapsed in her nice, warm bed and drifted off_._

A few hours later, she tossed and turned in her sleep, mumbling to herself, completely unaware as the old and broken clock that lay abandoned on her desk, began to tick once more in the darkness.

_Emma Swan had come to stay. _

* * *

**_The Residents of Storybrooke_**

**_Ahiru/Princess Tutu/Odette_**

_Origin: Princess Tutu/The Ugly Duckling/Swan Lake_

_A swan who's egg one day fell into a nest of ducklings. Due to their bullying she has a low self esteem and is extremely critical of herself. Because she was originally a duck, she tends to be naive to human nature and has a hard time with her limbs, leading to bouts of clumsiness. Her wish is to one day help the mysterious Prince she saw dance to get his heart back through any means._

_Her Storybrooke counterpart is Ahiru, an orphaned student at Gold Crown Dance Academy. To pay her funds, she works as the caretaker of Mayor Mill's son Henry and the occasional care of the towns senior citizens. She is friends with Pike, Lily, Eileen and Stacy and is rivals in love with the top student Rue. Her personality remains the same in both worlds._

**_Pike/Pique_**

_Origin: Princess Tutu_

_The personal maid of the Princess Kraehe. Unlike Lilie, she can extremely warm and kind, but is just as capable of causing trouble. Pique is more than often, the voice of reason between the pair, holding back Lilie before she goes too far. She thinks before she acts._

_Her Storybrooke counterpart is Pike, a student at the same Academy as Ahiru. Her personality is mostly the same, although Ahiru's antics do annoy her._

**_Lily/Lilie_**

_Origin: Princess Tutu_

_The other maid of Princess. She is the best friend and co-worker of Pique and the two generally get into all sorts of mischief. Out of the two, Lilie is more headstrong and temperamental than her pink haired compatriot. Tends to act before she thinks._

_In contrast to her Enchanted Forest counterpart, Lily is much more of a ditz and can tend to be quite an airhead. __Compared to her other self, Lily has a little bit of a mean streak, and regularly teases Ahiru.__ Attends the Dance Academy as well._

* * *

**_Next Time:_**

**_The Black Swan/_****_The Thing You Love Most_**


	2. Episode 2: The Black Swan

**_AN:_**_ Finally, I'm back! I must have rewritten this chapter at least three times. Gratuitous German has be placed throughout this chapter. I'm still learning, so I'd appreciate any help if I got it wrong._

_**Disclaimer**: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

**_Chapter 2_**

**_The Black Swan/The Thing You Love Most_**

**_by Anju Addams._**

* * *

_Enchanted Forest (2 Years Before Curse)_

The shroud of thick mist that had settled over the lake broke apart as the first rays of sunlight glinted over the town walls, revealing the small figure lying unmoving in the dewy grass. The eerie silence that had always been around the lakeside persisted for a short time, before one of the ravens fluttered down from it's perch and landed next to the body. It's beady eyes almost shone with a mischievous air before it let out a harsh caw.

"Quack!" screamed the figure as it bolted up from the ground. The raven hopped a few feet back, rustling it's wings and taking flight. With bleary eyes, the small figure watched the blurry shadow fade into distance.

"It was just a raven." the figure sighed in relief. The silence returned once more, before it was broken by the figure covering its mouth with a harsh clap. It sat there frozen until it slowly lowered its shaking arms and looked down at them. Pale white skin than covered slender fingers entered its vision and the figure tore it's gaze away. Frantically, it scrambled across the ground and peeked over the lake edge, to see a reflection staring back at it in the calm waters.

It was the unfamiliar face of a young teenage girl that stared back at her. A thick mop of brown and white hair hung neatly in a bob around her shoulders, one long strand sprouting from the top and hanging down to cover the button nose that sat between a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Her rosy red lips parted in surprise as she took in the sheer white gown she was wearing. Despite the fact that it was trailing across the ground around her, not a single piece of dirt marked it.

"Th-This is me!" she stuttered. "I'm not a duck anymore! But how?"

She waggled her new fingers in front of her eyes, marveling at the way they worked compared to her old wings. She felt her face, memorizing every inch of it and watched as the reflection-her reflection do the same.

After she had looked for long enough, she investigated the area around her, before deciding it would be a good idea to find someone in the town, someone who hopefully had answers. Bracing herself on the dirt, she slowly pushed herself upwards to stand on her new legs. Not used to the new muscles, she stumbled backwards away from the lake and tipped over onto her bottom.

"Oof!" she grunted. She gave a small sigh and lay flat, looking up at the clouds drifting by. All of a sudden, another face popped up beside her. In her fright, she gave a harsh quack and rolled over, smashing her face into the dirt.

"I'm so sorry!" gasped the young girl who had scared her. "Ijustsawyoufalloverandwantedtoseeifyouneededhelp!" the words tumbled out of her mouth and the duck turned girl had to take a few moments to understand what she'd said.

Lifting her head out of the grass, she turned towards the voice and noticed it was one of the maids that had always come by to pick up the dancing Prince. The one with long pink hair tied up in a ponytail. The maid held out and arm and the duck girl stared, confused.

_Am I supposed to do something?_

"Well, aren't you going to take my hand?" asked the pink maid. Hesitantly, the duck reached out and grasped the other girl's hand in her own.

_It's so warm..._

With no small amount of strain and a grunt of effort, she managed to lift the fallen girl from the ground. "Wow, you're heavier than you look!" she blurted out, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. She seemed to realize what she'd said, as she added hastily. "I meant no offense!"

"Okay?"

The maid narrowed her eyes as she looked at the strange girl in front of her. Wearing that beautiful white gown and possessing a noticeably large red ruby around her neck, she looked like royalty. It took a few moments to register in her mind, before she muffled her scream behind her hands. The stranger gave her a funny look.

"Um, are you alright?"

"_Mein Gott!_" the maid shouted, before she abruptly gave a short bow. "I should have realized it sooner, Your Highness! Please allow me to apologize, I am Pique, maid of the Princess Kraehe."

"Eh?"

The maid gasped out loud, before she grabbed the other girl's hand and began to drag her down the street. "I am so sorry! You must be the Princess we've been expecting! Your here to see the Prince right?" she rambled as she pulled the girl away from the lakeside. Turning a sharp corner, she led them down a dim alleyway before they burst out onto what seemed to be the Town Square.

"The Prince?" murmured the duck-girl, before she noticed the question. "The Prince! Yes, I'm here to see him!"

She studied the little wooden houses that surrounded the stone plaza. Little market stalls, all draped in vibrant colours were set up around a large stone fountain in the center of the square. The sound of the rushing water brought a calming atmosphere, a contrast to the eerie quietness of the lakeside. However, not a single soul was out walking the streets except for her and Pique, but she reasoned that it was early morning still and the various residents were still tucked warmly in their beds.

Pique led her up some stone steps that lay at the other side of the plaza, running so fast that she seemed to hop up them. As soon as she reached the top she came to stop, skidding slightly along the cobblestones. The duck turned girl sighed in relief, her newly formed legs had felt like they were going to fall off. She wobbled forward for a few steps, before crumpling to the floor, taking in large gasps of air.

"W-Why did we stop?" she wheezed out. Pique whirled around to look at her, raising one of her bright pink eyebrows.

"Well, we're here." she spoke in a tone of voice that made it quite clear that she'd been asked a dumb question. She gestured behind her quickly. "_Dies ist das Schloss von Prinz Siegfried!_"

"P-Pardon?" came the reply.

"That's right!" Pique realized. "You don't speak Krone-eese, do you?" When she received a negative, she continued. "What I meant to say is...This is the castle of Prince Siegfried, the ruler of the kingdom of Gold Krone!"

Ahiru gazed up at the magnificence white palace that towered over all the other buildings in the town. Great turrets reached into the sky, and the young girl could see even see a bell tower that rose high into the clouds, tucked away in the back.

"It's beautiful..." she gasped.

Pique giggled. "Yes, it is! But let's get you inside. The Prince will want to meet you as soon as possible."

* * *

The maid had quickly ushered her into the Castle Foyer, where she had been asked to wait, as Pique went to speak to the court. Her hands began to shake as she looked around the small room, but she hadn't had time to notice much, before Pique came back and she was escorted into the throne room.

If the outside of the castle wasn't grand enough, the sheer wonder of the throne room was enough to convince her of it's beauty. Lined with expertly carved marble white pillars, the ceiling rose high above her head decorated with large glass chandeliers, on which hung thousands of brightly lit torches. A thick red carpet lay below her feet, and at either side was a large group of people both young and old, man and woman. Turning her head back to the center of the room, she gazed upon the great golden throne upon which sat the man she had dreamed about being with.

Her Prince.

Just ahead, Pique stopped and gave a low bow, before she addressed him. "Prince Siegfried, I have brought forth the princess that arrived this morning. It must be her, after all, no-one else in the world has that distinctive hair colour!"

Giving no reaction that he had heard her, the pink haired maid simply stepped to the side and waved the duck-girl forwards. With nervous steps, she came to meet his golden gaze. Even now, the still did not reflect anything at all.

"Who are you?" spoke the albino Prince.

The girl quivered in her little white shoes. Who was she? Pique had mistaken her for a princess, but she was just a duck. Suddenly, the words slipped from her mouth as if they had always been there.

"I-I am the Princess Odette. I have traveled across all the Enchanted Forest to meet with you and request your hand in marriage." As she spoke those words, murmurs erupted in the court surrounding her.

"This is the Princess we were waiting for?"

"What will Her Highness say about this?"

The mind of the newly dubbed Odette raced. Why had she said those words? They had just come spilling out of her lips and she couldn't seem to stop the lies. And requesting his hand in marriage? She was sure the others could see the red flush on her face as she thought about how bluntly she spoke those words. As she hid her face by gazing hard at the floor, one of the members of the court, a wizened old man stepped forward. Facing the Prince with a short bow of respect, he addressed the young ruler.

"_Eure Majestät_" he inflicted in the driest tone possible. "What say you about this request? Would you accept?"

The Prince's empty eyes turned away from Odette and fixated on the old man who had spoken out. Those golden orbs that had her so entranced never broke their gaze, before he suddenly blinked.

"I don't know." he answered finally.

The crowd tittered amongst themselves before they came to a decision. Another old man stepped forward to whisper in the first one's ear. With a nod, he turned towards Odette.

"Since the Prince cannot decide at this moment." he clarified. "Until the day that he does, the Princess will remain in this kingdom." he smiled gently at her. "I do hope you will enjoy your stay here. I'm sure it will be wonderful."

* * *

The audience with the Prince soon came to an end, and Odette was led away by Pique into one of the corridors. In a sharp contrast to the white columns and beautifully decorated throne room, the hallway was rather bare. The cold stone walls rose high above her and the hard wooden floor was bare of any thick plush carpets. There wasn't even any fancy wooden desks lined with decorative flowers.

They had gotten a few steps forwards when the pink haired maid turned to her. "Your room is this way, _Eure Hoheit_. Myself and Lilie had it done when we learned you would be arriving." she gave as an explanation. They took off again and had only just gotten a few feet further when one of the large wooden doors that lined the right wall slammed open. Both maid and Princess jumped in fright as a shadow emerged from the frame. A fierce look of disgust settled on Pique's face as Odette turned to look at the man who had so rudely entered.

Small and squat, he was covered in a thick woolen robe, as black as the greasy hair that hung down to his shoulders, that barely hid the large hump on his back. His face was wrinkled, yet still retained a bony structure around his cheeks bones, and small liver spots dotted his forehead. His exceeding large nostrils, that were part of his long crooked nose that hooked forwards like a beak, opened wide as he let out a disdainful sniff.

"So this is the new Princess then?" he asked abruptly, his nasally voice thick with arrogance and self-assuredness. "You certainly look rather pretty, but it is my daughter that the Prince will choose."

Feeling rather left out of the loop, Odette could only give a noise of vague confusion. The man released a small chuckle of laughter, shifting his hands loose of his voluminous robe, and reached out with long bony fingers, that seemed to end in claws. With some hesitation, she took it in her own and gave it a brief shake.

"I am the King Rothbart." he introduced grandly. "My daughter, the Princess Kraehe has asked for Siegfried's hand in marriage as well." His beady black eyes turned towards the room he had just left from.

"Kraehe!" he barked out, rather harshly. "Come here at once!" A small set of footsteps echoed in the drab hallway, before a young girl popped out from the doorway, a rather obese gray cat cradled in her hands.

_Beautiful_, was the first thought that went through Odette's head.

With her pale skin and wavy black hair that settled neatly on the small of her back, beautiful was hardly a word to describe the Princess Kraehe. She seemed to light up the room simply by stepping in it and she presented herself in an elegant manner, a hard task considering the great black silk dress she wore. It trailed on the ground behind her and it was clear that only years of practice had stopped her from tripping over it. Before Odette could stare in awe any longer, the King barked at his daughter again.

"What have I told you about that beast!" he glared at the cat in her arms. "Get rid of it at once!"

A sigh of disappointment left the Princess's lips as she gently placed the creature on the floor. With a harsh hiss directed at Rothbart, it turned and fled down the corridor, disappearing around a corner. The King gave a disgusted scoff.

"Foul beast." he muttered, before his expression brightened and he reached out, grabbing his daughter's shoulder in his bony hand and pulling her close. To the Princess's credit, she tried to hide the look of disgust that had appeared even on her flawless face. "Now, my daughter on the other hand..." he spoke grandly. "Isn't she a beauty? Only thing she's good for really." he said cruelly, with a dismissive wave of his hand. The Princess didn't seem to react to the abusive remark the man had spoken, but as Odette looked into those deep red eyes, she saw the flicker within dim just a little.

_Poor Kraehe..._

Abruptly, Rothbart pushed his daughter away and spun back down the corridor. "Goodbye, Princess! Hope you have a wonderful stay!" he finished as he walked back into the other room, slamming the door behind him. An awkward silence ensued before Kraehe turned to her.

A warm smile blossomed on her face, lighting up her pretty features. "I'm sorry about my Father." she said sincerely. "He's old, so he gets a little cranky. It's nice to meet you Odette."

Odette blinked. That was not what she had expected from that man's daughter. "Nice to meet you too!"

If anything, the smile on Kraehe's face grew even brighter, and in a shocking move, hugged the other Princess, freezing her in place. "It'll be so nice to have a friend here! I hope you enjoy your stay!" She released the frozen girl and with a quick wave, went to follow the King through the door.

When Odette had finally shaken herself out of her shock, Pique began to lead her down the hall once more. "That was King Rothbart." She said by way of explanation. "He arrived here a few years ago, offering his daughter's hand in marriage to the Prince." The disgusted look on her face reappeared. "Frankly, he is an awful man and not much of a better father. Those words he said to her earlier? That's nothing to the other things he's said. It's like he looks at her as just a tool..." she gave a sigh.

"Luckily, his daughter turned out much better. I've never met anyone as beautiful as they were kind, more so than Princess Kraehe. She's not even jealous about you!

"But, that's enough about that. Your room is right down here..."

* * *

_Storybrooke (30 Years Later)_

Ahiru murmured unintelligibly in her sleep as she tossed and turned in her bed. She was rudely awoken however when the sudden ringing of her alarm clock disrupted the peace.

"Whazzat?" she said sleepily as she bolted up, throwing the covers off. She shivered for a few seconds in the cold morning air before blinking lazily at the still ringing device. Her fumbling hands managed to reach out and turn it off, the blissful silence of before returning. Ahiru fell back onto her sheets with a rather large thud and gazed up at the wooden beam that lined her dormitory room.

"What a strange dream..." she murmured aloud. She spent a few more minutes mulling over its meaning, before she gave a great sigh and dragged herself out of bed. She failed to suppress the yawn that escaped from her mouth as she reached around blindly for her towel and leotard. Finding them even with her eyes heavy with sleep, she trudged her way to her shower.

For some time, all that could be heard was the soft spray of running water.

"Oh my God! I'm late again!"

The door to her bathroom reopened and clad in nothing more than a soaking wet towel, Ahiru rushed out. At seemingly mach speed, she pulled on her leotard and pointe shoes and somehow had her hair manageable. She burst from her room and almost jumped down the staircase, heading towards the ballet studio. As she sped out the front door, Pike and Lily poked their sleepy heads out from their respective rooms.

"She does know we don't have class today, right?" said Pike.

Lily giggled cutely. "This is why she needs us! It's so cute!"

"Eh, whatever. I'm going back to bed."

* * *

Ahiru tumbled into the ballet room nearly tripping on the threshold. "Sorry I'm late Mr. Felixis!" When no reply came, she realized that the room was empty, the lights switched off. She scratched her head.

"Where is everybody?" she wondered. Before she could continue her ruminations, the old gramophone player in the corner of the room sprung to life. As she looked up towards the person who was now performing intricate ballet moves in the center of the hall, she couldn't help the blush that spread across her face.

Mytho...she thought dreamily.

The young white haired boy continued to dance, oblivious to the silent audience he had now gained. As he spun round, performing techniques and positions that she only dreamt of doing, she gazed longingly at him.

Mytho was one of the older dancers at the Academy, in the year ahead of Ahiru. With his beautifully pale skin and the white hair that gave him an aura of mystery, it was no surprise that many of the girls at the school held some affection for him, including Ahiru. Unfortunately for them, Mytho already had a long-time girlfriend, the bane of Ahiru's life, her classmate, Rue.

"He's such a good dancer." she whispered to herself. "I wish I could do those twirls and those jumps..." Almost unconsciously, her foot began to rise into the same position the senior now held, before her chronic clumsiness kicked in and she fell to the floor. Closing her eyes out of reflex, she was confused when her body didn't slam into the hard tiles below her and instead crashed into something soft and warm. She peeked one open, and the blush on her cheeks grew even stronger.

Below her with his arms spread out to catch her, was Mytho. With a squeal she lept up and began to frantically apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Senior Mytho! That's just me, clumsy old Ahiru!" she gave an awkward laugh that trailed off when she noticed the rather large bruise that was now forming on his ankle. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

Mytho turned to look at her, his warm gold eyes reflecting the sunlight that streamed in through the windows. "It's okay." he said, a smile gracing across his handsome features.

"It is not okay!" came a harsher feminine voice, and Ahiru bit back a groan, as she whirled around to see Rue standing there, looking rather angry. "How dare you hurt my boyfriend you stupid birdbrain!" She ground her teeth together.

Reading the tension in the air, Mytho tried to diffuse the situation. "Really Rue, I'm fine. It's just a small bruise. It'll heal up in no time." Apparently however, he had said the wrong thing, as Rue's perfectly make-upped face got redder and redder, a vein visibly throbbing on her forehead.

"NO IT IS NOT!" she shouted outstretching her arm to the helpless girl in front of her. "This idiot had no right to be here! I bet she doesn't even know classes aren't on today!" Ahiru cringed. "Not to mention it's still seven in the morning!"

She sneered at the girl. "What's wrong Ahiru? I bet you woke up this early on purpose just to see my boyfriend didn't you!" With the clicking of her heels, she strode over to her classmate and poked her harshly in the chest. "You stay away from him, you hear?" she hissed. "Now...GET OUT!"

Not wanting to stick around any longer, the poor girl practically fled out of the room, racing down the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

The door to Granny's Diner swung open sharply as Ahiru stomped inside. Several of the other patrons, getting their early morning coffees before a hard day at work, turned to stare at her, before shrugging their shoulders and resuming their business. The young teenage girl strode over to the counter and with an over-dramatic huff, collapsed onto one of the stools. Ruby, who had been standing behind the counter, just next to her, gave her a sympathetic smile.

"That girl again wasn't it?" she asked. When Ahiru gave a sharp nod, she reached out and patted the teenager's hand. "Don't worry about it." she continued, sliding over a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "On the house."

Ahiru gave a noise of protest before Ruby waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Besides, you're not the only one who's had an unwelcome guest this morning." she said pointed to her right. Ahiru shifted in her seat to look in the direction Ruby was pointing and was pleasantly surprised.

"Emma!" she gasped. "You're still here?" Emma who'd been sat at the counter, just one seat over reading the morning newspaper, turned to the sound of her name.

"Oh hey Ahiru." she said with a small wave. "I had a little accident on the way back home and my car's smashed up pretty bad. Thought I'd stick around until it's fixed, you know?" She looked at the newspaper in her hands with a long suffering sigh, and glanced back at the younger girl. "Have you seen this?" she asked flashing the front cover at her.

Ahiru leaned over to read the headline. Above the mugshot of the woman sat next to her where the words_ 'STRANGER DESTROYS HISTORIC SIGN: ALCOHOL INVOLVED.'_ She let out an involuntary gasp.

"That's horrible!" she cried. "I bet it was that no-good Sidney's fault. He's always writing stuff like this!" Emma simply gave another sigh and threw the newspaper back onto the table before reaching into her jacket pocket for a shiny red apple that Ahiru identified as the ones that grew on her employers tree. Just as Emma was about to take a bite, Ruby came over and placed another cup of hot chocolate in front of them.

"Here you go."

Emma gave her a quizzical look. "But, I didn't order that?" A sneaky grin appeared on Ruby's face as she leaned across the counter.

"I know." she said cheekily. "You have an admirer." as she spoke, she glanced over to the corner and both Ahiru and Emma turned to see Sheriff Graham sat at one of the tables, nursing a coffee. Hot chocolate in hand, Emma stood up from her seat and walked over to his booth. Both younger girls watched the muttered conversation between the pair, before Henry popped up from the seat behind Emma.

"I sent it." he said, getting up from his seat. "I like cinnamon too!" he gave as an explanation.

"Don't you have school?" Emma asked.

"Duh, I'm ten." he answered as he pulled his backpack onto his shoulders. "Ahiru normally walks me, but you can too."

* * *

Seconds later, the trio were walking outside the diner on Main Street, crossing across the road on their way to Henry's school.

"So." Emma began. "What's the deal with you and your Mom?" she questioned the boy. He turned to look at her.

"It's not about us. It's about her curse." he told her eagerly. "We have to break it and luckily I have a plan. Step One, I call it Operation Cobra."

"Cobra?" Emma wondered as they reached the other side and began walking down the sidewalk. "That has nothing to do with fairy tales."

This time it was Ahiru that spoke up. "He says it's to throw the Queen of our tracks." she said shyly. Henry nodded his head rapidly.

"Exactly, just like Ahiru said!" Emma gave him a look that said she didn't quite believe him. Henry being too young missed it, but Ahiru didn't.

"So everyone here is a fairy tale character? They just don't know it?" Emma pressed, bouncing the apple she was still holding between her hands.

"Yup!" agreed Henry. "That's the curse. Time was frozen, until you got here." he added. Emma gave an absentminded nod as she popped the apple into her mouth.

"Hey" shouted Henry, just as she was about to take a bite. She turned to look at him quickly. "Where'd you get that?" The blonde woman glanced between him and the intact apple.

"Your Mom?" she stated awkwardly. As quick as a whip, Henry's arm lashed and grabbed the apple, throwing it down the street. "Okay..." said Emma before she decided to go back to their previous topic. "What about their pasts?"

"Well they don't know." Henry elaborated. "It's all hazy. Ask anyone, you'll see."

"So." Emma started as they rounded a corner. "For decades, people have been walking around in a haze, not aging and with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that keeps them oblivious?" she finished with a sharp nod.

"I knew you'd get it!" Henry cheered. "That's why we need you. You're the only one who can stop the curse!"

"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?"

"Yes! And that's why we have the advantage." Henry continued as he stopped walking and unzipped his bag, shuffling around inside. "She doesn't know it because I took the end out!" His hand withdrew clenched tightly around a sheet of papers, the first of which he handed over to Emma. Ahiru leaned over behind her to see the picture of a handsome young man holding a baby wrapped in a bright yellow cloth.

"See, you are Snow White's daughter!"

"Kid..." came Emma's disbelieving tone, but Henry was firm.

"Look, I know the hero never believes at first. If they did it wouldn't be a very good story." he insisted as they took off again. "If you don't believe me, read those pages, but never ever let my Mom see them. It would be bad." he ended ominously, before suddenly brightening up and walking a bit faster down the street, both women lagging behind him.

"So..." Emma began awkwardly when Henry had walked out of earshot. "If Henry thinks everyone here is a fairy-tale character, who does he think you are?"

Ahiru turned to her with a small smile. "The Ugly Duckling." She got a small chuckle at the way Emma's eyes bugged out from her skull.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "You, the Ugly Duckling? You're way too pretty!"

Ahiru's cheeks flushed a bright crimson, the freckles on her face becoming more visible. "That's what Henry said actually." she said with a soft smile, as if fondly remembering. "He said that I became a beautiful Princess in the end though."

"Well that doesn't happen in any version I've heard." spoke the bail-bonds-woman.

Ahiru hummed in agreement. "He said I became Odette."

Emma turned to her. "Odette?" she asked. She thought the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place exactly where.

"She's the Princess from Swan Lake." the teenager explained gently. "She gets turned into a swan, so I guess it all ties together?" she said with a shrug of her pale shoulders.

"Swan Lake?" Emma wondered. "The Ugly Duckling too? Why would he think that?"

"Well you see..." she began nervously. "Please don't laugh." she added hastily.

"I won't." Emma assured her with a wave of her hand.

"Well, my full name is Ahiru Ente." When she was met with a look of confusion, she elaborated further. "Ahiru is Japanese for duck, and Ente is German for...duck."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "So your name is literally Duck Duck?" As she received a nod in return, she sucked in a harsh breath. "Wow, that sucks honestly. What were your parents thinking?"

The teenage girl's eyes dimmed a little. "I don't know." she said quietly. "I never met them, I grew up in an orphanage."

Emma grimaced awkwardly. "I'm sorry." she gave a sad smile. "I know what it's like to have parents that didn't want you. At least yours didn't dump you on the side of a freeway." she added bitterly. She shook herself out of her old memories and changed the subject. "Do you believe Henry?"

Ahiru's cheeks flushed again. "I-I don't know." she started quietly as though she thought he could still hear them. "For almost as long as I've known him, he's always believed in them. Some part of me wants to believe he's true, but sometimes..." she ended with a shrug. She turned to look at Emma. "I have to go now, I've got some shopping to do for Mayor Mills, so watch out for Henry for me. Somehow, I think I can trust you, and not just because your his mother either."

The blonde nodded. "You got it."

* * *

The sound of a great yawn echoed through the air as Ahiru staggered through the front doors of the City Hall building, several large plastic bags clutched in her hands. Mayor Mills had asked to meet her here, like everyday she was with Henry to make sure Henry got to and from his therapy sessions after dinner. She was just about to round the corner, when a small figure burst out from the Mayor's office and collided with her. The force of the blow sent her sprawling across the floor, the bags in her hands bursting open, spraying an assortment of milk and Coca-Cola everywhere.

"Hey!" she shouted, rubbing her sides. "You should watch w-" she was cut off, when she noticed the retreating figure was Henry, tears visible on his cheeks. "Henry?" she asked softly, but he had already walked out slamming the door behind him. Scant moments later, the office door reopened again, and out popped non-other than Emma Swan. She glanced around before she noticed Ahiru still laying painfully on the tiles.

"Ahiru!" she exclaimed, walking over. "Are you okay? Here I'll help you." She grasped the younger girl's hand and lifted her off the floor. "I'm so sorry. It was Henry wasn't it!"

"I've never seen him so upset." Ahiru mused clutching at her ribs. "That's twice I've fallen over today!" Emma gave a wince.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I said something really bad and Henry was listening."

"Where are you going?" Ahiru asked as she bent down to examine her shopping.

"I don't know..." Emma gave a frustrated sigh. "I guess I'll go and see his teacher." The teenager stopped her inspection to look back up at the red jacketed woman.

"You mean Mary Margaret?" she smiled. "That's a good idea, she always seems to know what to say." With a nod of thanks, Emma stepped out of the doors Henry had exited from a few minutes before. Ahiru turned back to her ruined purchases.

"Oh no..." she whined. "The eggs are all cracked." She heard the door to the Mayor's Office reopened again as Mayor Mills stepped out.

"M-Mayor Mills!" she faltered in the presence of her employer. "I'mreallysorrybutHenrypushedmeandIfelloverandnowtheeggsareruineda-"

"Save it." the Mayor said wearily. "It doesn't matter, just go to my house and wait will you?" she waved her off.

"Yes, of course!"

* * *

**_The Residents of Storybrooke_**

**_Mr Felixis/Kraehe's Cat_**

_Origin: Princess Tutu_

_One of the senior Ballet instructors at Gold Crown Dance Academy. Extremely passionate about the art, Mr. Felixis can be quite harsh when his students do not listen, and seems to dislike someone in particular...__He is a tall thin man with slightly graying hair and the piercing eyes of a cat, in contrast to his Enchanted Forest counterpart._

_His Enchanted Forest counterpart is the cat that belongs to Princess Kraehe. Because of the life of luxury he lives, he has grown to be quite obese, but still remains extremely active. He adores his owner but seems to have a mutual dislike of her father, King Rothbart who wants to get rid of him. When he is not found near the Princess, he is either hunting for food in town or laying down comfortably on the arm of the Prince's throne._

* * *

**_Next Time:_**

**_The Swan Locket/Snow Falls_**


	3. The Swan Locket

_**AN: **I have been so busy. Between college and looking for a job, along with illnesses and __conventions, I haven't really been able to write as much as I like. Luckily, now that college is over with, I can get back to a schedule._

_**Disclaimer**: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective creators and are not owned by me._

* * *

**_Chapter 3_**

**_The Swan Locket/Snow Falls_**

**_by Anju Addams._**

* * *

_Enchanted Forest (2 Years Before Curse)_

The room that the duck princess had been given was definitely reserved for one with her title. A large plush bed covered in silken sheets sat up against the walls, with a few wooden chairs placed neatly around a table nearby. On the wall closest to the door was a large wardrobe and a desktop that held a various array of items including a mirror, a hairbrush and even some fancy looking perfume. A large fireplace was also set into the wall near the window, filled to the brim with stacks of firewood.

Odette had marveled at the room, before she noticed the long white nightgown that had been folded gently on the bedcovers. Seeing it, she was instantly hit with a wave of tiredness. Letting out a small yawn, she had pulled herself out of her fancy dress and draped it over a nearby chair, along with the locket she had been wearing, before quickly pulling on the nightgown and hopping into the bed. She was so tired in fact, that she did not notice the transformation that took place mere seconds later as she fell asleep.

* * *

It wasn't until much later, when the sun had gone down, that she had woken up to find she was a duck once more.

"Quack!" she screeched, jumping around on the bed until she tripped and fell off. She lay dazed on the floor for a few moments, before getting up and looking forlornly at her wings.

_I'm a duck again... _she thought._ How can this be?_

Abruptly the candles in the room were snuffed out plunging the room into darkness. With a flap of her wings, Odette buried herself under the bed when a tremendous laugh echoed off the stone walls.

**_"There's no need to be afraid little duck. I only wish to speak to you." _**came the booming voice. Quivering, the small figure glanced out to see a sight that nearly gave her a heart attack. The wall she had been facing was simply gone, replaced entirely by the face of an old man whose twinkling emerald eyes glanced down at her and whose enormous grin nearly split his face in half.

_Is this another dream? _she thought. Suddenly, the old man laughed again.

_**"If you must know this is not a dream, little duck." **_He said as his face suddenly swallowed up the carpet.

"W-Who are you?" she quacked.

A gloved hand came into view, and tipped the large feathery hat that lay upon his long white hair._ **"You may address me as Drosselmeyer." **_he chuckled. He then faded from both the wall and carpet, appearing fully in the center of the room. Now that he was fully visible, the duck princess could see that he was dressed entirely in a black suit, except for the gaudy red cape that flowed down to his ankles.

"Why are you here?" she pressed him.

_**"It was I who gave you the power to become a human girl, little duck." **_he waved at her in explanation._ **"You wished to save the poor prince after all..." **_he trailed off.

Odette let out a gasp. "You know what's wrong with the prince!" she shouted. Drosselmeyer started to laugh yet again._ **"The poor prince was a hero, with a warm heart who fought against a demonic raven. Well, that was what happened inside my story." **_He lifted up his hands to show her a brown book that had no markings or title.

**_"But."_ **he continued.**_ "Then he came out of the story and lost his heart by sealing the raven away. It was shattered into seven pieces that fled across this kingdom, and only those with the purest hearts can restore the pieces. That, would be you." _**he pointed at her. Odette backed away slightly.

"M-Me?"

**_"Yes, you. That is if you still have the resolve to save him."_**

Odette leapt up from the floor and flapped her wings in a tizzy. "I do! I do! All I want to do is save the prince. I would give my life to him!" she exclaimed. If it was possible the grin on Drosselmeyer's face grew larger and he clapped his hands together.

**_"Congratulations! That's the most wonderful thing about stories. A duck can become a girl, and the girl can become a princess." _**He waved his hand once, and the ruby red locket that had fallen to the floor rose into the air in front of her.**_"This locket contains the power to transform you into a human." _**he said before his tone turned darker.** _"But be warned! If you lose this locket you will become a duck again..."_**

As he let out that final message, the locket hung itself around her neck and a blinding light filled the room, blinding her. The world seemed to fade away and Odette realized her eyes felt heavy. She struggled to keep them open, but the effort was too much and soon her vision was filled with darkness as she drifted off.

* * *

The knocking at the door the next morning, was what woke her. She began to pick herself up and as she became more aware, she noticed that she was still laying on the floor, the locket clutched tightly in her human hand.

_So it wasn't a dream..._she thought.

**_"Of course not!" _**came the whisper of the old man from somewhere. She didn't have time to reflect as the knocking on the door became louder, and Pique's familiar voice came through the walls.

"Are you awake in there, your majesty?" she called. "Since today's your first real day in Gold Krone, I have been requested to take you on a tour of our fair kingdom!" Odette glanced around, spotting the clothes she had worn the other day, laid across the corner chair.

"I'm awake!" she called back. "I'm still in my nightgown, so I'll be out in five minutes!"

"Good, your majesty! Our tour will begin in the room next to yours." Pique said. "I'm very sure you'll like it. It's our famous library after all."

* * *

True to Odette's word, she was dressed not five minutes later, and ushered out the door by the pink haired maid, who then took her down the hallway to one of the other doors that they had passed last night. Pique stopped just outside.

"Welcome to the library." she introduced with a sweep of her arms, before pushing the door forwards, letting the princess step through.

The library, with its tall arching roof looked more like a cathedral than an ordinary library, but Odette who had never been in one before couldn't comment and only gazed around in wonder.

"It's beautiful." she whispered as her eyes wandered, looking at the bookshelves among bookshelves and the warm orange glow that burned from the candles, neatly tucked into their little holders. "So many books."

"Yes." said Pique. "This library is the pride and joy of Gold Krone. There are books from all over the Enchanted Forest here."

"Actually." Odette interrupted. "I was wondering about a certain book. I don't know the name, but it was written by a Drosselmeyer I believe?"

"Oh!" Pique gasped. "Yes, we have many of Herr D. D. Drosselmeyer's stories. He was a very famous author, especially around these parts. Do you know the contents of the book by any chance?"

Odette struggled to remember last night's conversation with the man before she remembered something important. "I can! It was about a prince and a raven!"

"A-Ha!" Pique shouted raising her finger. She walked off for a few minutes behind the bookshelves before she reappeared carrying a newly looking leather tome. "It's this one. Simply titled 'The Prince and the Raven." Pique placed it into Odette's hands. "Here you are, your majesty. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, even if it's not finished."

"Not finished?" the duck princess frowned. "Why is that?"

Pique grimaced. "That's because..." she trailed off. "Well...Drosselmeyer died."

"He died!?"

"Yes, while he was writing the ending." Pique's face turned sad. "It was quite recently too, just last year."

"Oh...that poor man." Odette murmured. She realized that the man she had been talking to was a ghost. An old man who obviously couldn't pass on until he finished his story.

_Well! _she thought._ I WILL help him finish!_

Pique's voice burst through her musings. "This way, your majesty. I think you'll enjoy what our little kingdom has to offer."

* * *

_Storybrooke (30 Years Later)_

Despite Ahiru's worries about Henry as she went to bed that night, she'd woken up the next morning to find that Emma had thankfully found the boy and made up. Henry had explained on the way to school that Emma had been throwing his mother off the trail of Operation Cobra so had lied to Regina about not believing him. Ahiru had been a bit skeptical of this but she had assured Henry that she would help in any way possible.

"Oh course, I'll help you." she'd said as they walked down the busy street, coming to a stop outside the school. She'd been about to wave him off and head to her other job, when Mary Margaret, a pretty black haired woman and Henry's grade teacher had walked over to them and lifted a hand in greeting to the pair.

"Thanks for bringing him, Ahiru." Mary told her with a wide smile. "With the school trip today we didn't want him to be late."

Ahiru's eyes widened and she blushed a bright red. "Well..." she began awkwardly. "I had actually forgotten about the trip." And she had. Regina had told her yesterday that the school had arranged for Henry's class to visit the hospital and make decorations for the more permanent residents in the hopes of cheering them up. With everything that had gone on yesterday with both Emma and Rue, she had completely forgotten.

Mary Margaret gave a small giggle. "It doesn't matter." She turned to Henry and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Come on Henry, you can see Ahiru later on the trip anyway." Ahiru nodded and with a final wave to the pair, set off towards the hospital herself.

* * *

When she had finally arrived at the hospital, she was greeted by the head of the establishment, a blonde haired doctor she only knew as Whale.

"Ahiru." he greeted her before he turned and began to stride quickly down the sterile white hallways, Ahiru having to run to catch him up. "I'm sure you're aware that the kids will be coming in later today, so I've put you in charge of watching over them along with...Mary Margaret."

Here he gave a small grimace before moving on. "But for now, just keep a eye out on old Pyotr please? He's been getting kind of uppity lately and you know how fond he is of you." he pleaded her but before she could answer he ducked into a nearby elevator, the doors closing behind him.

The young girl couldn't help the small smile that painted her face. Pyotr Amadeus Dumas, was one of the more volatile residents of the elderly ward and was famous for his immeasurable number of complaints that ranged from protesting about the food or the beds or even the daily nurses. But for whatever reason, the only person he didn't seem to bother other than his personal maid, Adele, was Ahiru, leading for the doctors to constantly send her to his aid. At first, she'd been annoyed, not finding the confidence to speak up against it but had slowly grown fond of the old man secretly beginning to think of him like the grandfather she had never had.

So without a word, she turned on her heel and headed off to the elderly wards with a spring in her step. It didn't take her long and she peeked her head around the doorway. "Guess who!" she exclaimed to the only figures in the room who both turned to look at her.

"Ahiru!" shouted the old man with a warm grin that almost lay hidden underneath the thick white beard that rested on his face. "My dear, I should've known you'd come" He turned to the tall stoic looking woman next to him. "Isn't that right Adele?" The woman didn't appear to react other than the slight nod she gave the pair. With a huff, Pyotr turned to address Ahiru once more. "Don't mind her." he teased. "She got up on the wrong side of bed this morning so she's a little cranky. Anyway, I was wondering how have you been? School is going well I hope?"

The younger girl smiled and she allowed herself to relax, answering the old man's questions until Dr. Whale made a brief reappearance, letting her know that the children had arrived. With a heartfelt grin and a jolly wave to Pyotr and Adele, she headed off to the entrance lobby to greet the schoolkids.

* * *

Mary Margaret had placed the younger girl with some of the students who were currently still finishing their decorations. Ahiru was looking over the colourful display of gigantic cards and even a few makeshift kites that would be pinned to wall later, when Mary appeared from the room next door. "Ahiru." she said grabbing her attention. "Have you seen Henry?"

Ahiru twisted around in her chair and pointed an arm towards the large glass windows of a private room. Henry could clearly be seen sat next to the man lying in the bed. Mary gave her a small "Thanks." and went through the doorway to talk to her student. Ahiru just managed to pick up the conversation between the pair as she turned back round to watch the children again.

"Henry, we could use your help with the decorations." Mary kindly asked the boy.

"Is Mr. Doe going to be okay, Miss Blanchard?" Despite the fact that Ahiru wasn't looking at him, she could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Well, John Doe isn't his real name, honey?" Mary explained gently. "That's just what they call people when they don't know who they are."

"Do you know who he is?" came Henry's curious tone.

Mary Margaret laughed gently. "Nope, I just bring him flower when I do my rounds."

"What's wrong with him?"

She could hear the frown in Mary's voice as she spoke. "I don't know. He's been like this since before I began volunteering." At this point, Ahiru was beginning to feel uncomfortable with listening into their conversation, so she blocked the voices out and concentrated on helping a small girl who was struggling to cut out the paper flowers she wanted to glue to her card. It was only a few minutes later that Mary brought Henry back into the main room, where he immediately made a beeline for her.

"Can we talk later?" he said eagerly. "It's about Operation Cobra. I'll bring Emma along and we'll meet at the secret place!" Then he ran off without waiting for an answer, leaving her to sigh.

_That boy..._she thought fondly.

* * *

A few hours later, just like she had promised, Ahiru greeted both Henry and Emma as they walked towards the swingset she was seated on.

Just like Henry, this playground was one of her favourite places to visit. Whenever she felt too stressed or angry, she liked to come here and stare out at the ocean in front of her, the blue waters somehow having a calming effect on her. She watched quietly as the two settled onto the swings next to her, with Henry pulling out the storybook from his bag. He opened it to a page that showed a portrait of the handsome man from the previous picture he had shown Emma. The picture was much clearer this time and Ahiru could see the small scar that was on the man's cheek.

"I found your father!" he told Emma excitedly. "Prince Charming." Emma gave a small grimace and reached a hand over.

"Henry..." she said hesitantly. But the young boy wasn't listening and he jabbed his finger at the image.

"He's in the hospital. In a coma." he rambled on. "See that scar? He has the same one too!" Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Lots of people have scars." she offered.

"In the same place though?" Henry pointed out. "Don't you see what it means? The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. We have to tell Miss. Blanchard!" Now Ahiru was confused and grabbed the duo's attention with an awkward cough, just as Emma opened her mouth to speak.

"Sorry." she apologized. "But why do we need to tell Mary Margaret?" Henry's eyes went wide.

"That's right! I didn't tell you!" he slapped his palm into his face. "I found out that Miss. Blanchard was Snow White. I was so busy with bringing Emma to town, that I forgot to tell you."

Ahiru giggled. "Looks like we both forgot something today. Anyway, I'm sorry for interrupting you earlier. You can carry on now." Emma nodded her head and turned to the young boy.

"Okay, kid." she started. "Telling someone that their...soulmate is in a coma isn't going to be very helpful." Ahiru nodded her head in agreement. "Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is even worse."

Henry became insistent. "But what if I'm right? We know who they are. Now they have to know!"

Ahiru spoke up again. "Henry." she said gently. "How are we going to do that?" Henry turned to look at her with a deadpan expression.

"By reminding him!" he said as if it was obvious. "We have to get her to read John Doe their story. Then, he might remember who he is." Emma started off into the distance, gazing into the sea for a few moments before letting out a large breath.

"Okay..."

Henry looked up at the blonde woman. "Okay?"

Emma nodded. "We'll do it. But we'll do it my way. Let me ask her, and then we can see back tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's, Okay?"

Henry cheered. "Yes! What about you Ahiru?"

"Well." she hesitated. "I do have a class tomorrow morning so I will have to see you a little later." She explained. Luckily, Henry didn't seem to mind so she stood up from the swing. "I'm heading back to my dorm now, I'll see you tomorrow!" She said and began to walk away from the park, stopping on the edge to give them a goodbye wave.

* * *

She burst through the front door of the diner that morning to find that Mary Margaret had already arrived but Emma and Henry were both still sat down. With a quickened pace, she made her way over to them.

"Sorry I'm late." she greeted them with a wave of her hand. "What's going on?" Henry was practically vibrating with excitement in his seat.

"It's Prince Charming!" he grinned. "He did wake up last night! I told you!" Ahiru's jaw dropped open.

"H-He did?" she stuttered. "How on..." she asked Emma who could only shrug her shoulders. "What happens now?" she added.

"We were just heading back to the hospital." Mary Margaret interjected. Emma gave her a sharp look.

"Wait. What?" Emma questioned.

A small smile graced Mary Margaret's beautiful face as she turned to Emma. "If I got through to him, If I made a connection..." she trailed off as Emma held out her palm and leaned over closer to the pair and away from Henry who was currently eating from a plate of toast and paying them no attention.

"Hold on." she whispered into their ears so the boy didn't hear them. "You don't actually believe..."

"That he's Prince Charming?" Mary whispered back. "Of course not. It's just that someway, somehow, I touched him." Emma started at her briefly before she nudged Henry's attention away from his breakfast.

"Come on you." she sighed. "Let's get to the hospital then."

* * *

Ahiru lagged behind Emma and Mary Margaret as they strode into the hospital ward where John Doe had been staying. Henry in his excitement had run a little further ahead, catching the attention Graham who had been talking to one of the doctors on duty. He held out his hand stopping Henry in his place.

"Whoa, Henry!" he exclaimed. "You should stay back." The trio who had been behind the boy sped up, with Mary Margaret rushing over to the sheriff.

"What's going on?" she asked with a look of worry plastered on her face. "Is it John Doe? Is he okay?" Graham had an uncomfortable pause.

"He's missing." was all he could say. All four of the recent arrivals could only stare in disbelief before a sudden noise made Graham turn around, allowing them to see the mayor standing behind the glass windows of John Doe's room. She looked past them, before she let out an almost unnoticeable double take and strode out to see them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina said in the sweetest tone she could muster. Emma simply glared back at her as the mayor reached out and gently pulled her son forwards. "And you." she said to him. "You were supposed to be meeting Ahiru at the diner to take you to the arcade! You lied to us both?" Ahiru winced.

Mary Margaret however, was still staring ahead at the room in front of her. "What happened to John Doe." she asked desperately. "Did someone take him?"

It was Graham who answered. "We don't know yet." he explained, shaking his head. "His IV's were ripped out, but there doesn't seem to be any signs of a struggle." Henry glared up at his mother.

"What did you do!" he spat. Ahiru turned to him immediately.

"That was a horrid thing to say, Henry!" she admonished him. "Apologize to your mother right now!" Regina still looked hurt however.

"You think I did this?" she said in disbelief. Emma crossed her arms together behind them.

"It is curious the mayor is here." the blonde stated as Regina looked her in the eye.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact." Regina revealed. Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes.

"You know him?" she said.

Regina nodded her head. "I was the one that found him. Years ago, on the side of the road with no ID. I brought him to the hospital." Just then, Dr. Whale stepped into the room and added his two cents to the conversation.

"Mayor Mills saved his life." the blonde man spoke up. Now that the doctor was here, Ahiru spoke up.

"Will Mr. Doe be okay, Dr. Whale?" the teenager queried.

"Ah, Ahiru." he said as he saw her. "Well, to be honest, the man has been living from a feeding tube for years, with constant supervision, I might add. We need him back here right away or..." he trailed off for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Well, he won't last much longer." At hearing that, Ahiru's frown deepened.

"We need to find him!" she pleaded. "We have to start looking right now!" Regina was the one that spoke up next.

"That is what we're doing Ahiru." Then she glanced up at Emma. "You, however, can stay out of this. And since I can't keep you away from my son." She reached out and took Henry's hand in her own, before staring down Emma. "I'm just going to keep my son away from you. And, enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting."

The mayor turned back to the group. "Sheriff." she ordered Graham. "Find John Doe. You heard Dr. Whale, time is precious." Then she gestured to Ahiru. "You are coming with me to take my son back home." She strode out of the room, Henry's hand clutched in hers. Ahiru ran after them, not even bothering to say goodbye. It wasn't a good idea to annoy Regina when she was already angry after all.

* * *

"I'm going back out again, Ahiru." Regina told her as soon as they walked through the front door. "Keep an eye on him." That was all she said, as she turned around and walked out the front door, locking it behind her. As her footsteps faded away, Ahiru breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well at least she's not mad.." She said to the empty hallway before walking up the staircase to Henry's room. His door was shut, so she rapped her hand on the door. "Henry." she called out. "I wanted to talk to you about your mother. I think you need to apologize to her." She waited for an answer but none came. She frowned rapping on the door harder.

"This isn't funny Henry." she raised her voice. "Regina was really upset." Yet again, she was met by silence, but her anger faded into worry. "Henry, are you alright?" No answer. "Right. I'm coming in!" she shouted, swinging the door open.

She stopped just over the threshold.

Henry was missing and the window was open.

With a gasp, she ran over and looked out onto the street below, catching sight of the small figure that was racing towards the woods. "HENRY!" she screamed. "YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW OR YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Of course, he paid her no attention, going on his merry way. The young girl let out a cry in frustration before noticing the sheet of bedclothes that had been tied like a rope, descending out this window. She looked back at the street again, Henry's silhouette almost covered by the darkness.

"Oh great..." She reached out her hands and grasped the makeshift rope. "Here goes nothing..." With a grunt of effort, she hoisted herself over the ledge and slowly crawled down the wall, the bed-sheets burning her hands as she struggled to keep her grasp. Luckily, she managed to make it to the bottom without falling off and she took a few moments to catch her breath before running after Henry down the street. She noticed the boy a few minutes later heading into the forest at the edge of town and followed him in.

He didn't seem to notice her following him as he wandered through the ferns that sprung up high across the ground and it wasn't long before Ahiru could hear voices. The words were a bit hard to make out, but she could clearly tell that it was Emma and Mary Margaret. Henry himself had stopped behind a bush to listen into their conversation, when Ahiru crept behind him and flicked him on the ear.

The resulting "OWW!" made both women turn around as the ballerina in training pulled Henry out from the bushes.

"Ahiru? Henry?" exclaimed Mary Margaret. The young boy turned his attention to the schoolteacher.

"Did you find him yet?" he asked, rubbing his throbbing ear.

"No, not yet." Emma spoke up. "But, you shouldn't be here."

Henry ignored her. "I can help." he insisted. "I know where he's going."

"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asked. Henry just pointed at her.

"He's looking for you." he told them, moving forwards, further into the forest. As the four moved through the forest, they were joined by Graham, who explained that he had been following the trail of footprints John Doe had left behind.

"They end just over there." he said, shining his torch into the distance. "If we look around that area, we might find some clues." So they all set off, following behind the sheriff as he led the way. As they walked forwards, Henry spoke up again.

"You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!" he said to Mary, who stopped and turned around, crouching to Henry's level.

"Henry." she said gently. "It's not about me. He's just lost and confused, he's been in a coma for a very long time." But Henry would have none of it.

"But he loves you!" he shouted back. "You need to stop chasing him and let him find you!"

"Kid!" Emma told him. "You need to go home, okay? Where's your mom? She's going to kill me, and then you, and then Ahiru." She added on for good measure.

"She dropped us off and then went back out." the young boy said cheerfully.

"Yes." said Ahiru. "And we need to go home immediately Henry!"

"No!" he cried before Graham's voice cut through the dense fog that had been creeping up on them.

"Guys!" He said from the spot where he was crouched over, looking into the bushes. The four of them ran over, Emma shining her torch onto an object that was hanging from the leaf of a fern. Through the darkness, Ahiru could see that it was a hospital bracelet that was labeled for one John Doe and covered in a worrying amount of blood.

"Blood!" she gasped aloud. "We have to hurry!"

"She's right." said Graham as he stood up from his crouch. He aimed his torch at the ground, a bit further into the distance. "I can see a trail of blood from here. It looks like he was heading towards the old toll bridge."

They set off hastily and eventually came to a break in the trees leading to the place Ahiru noted was the river underneath the toll bridge. Mary Margaret began to swing her torch around hastily.

"Where is he?" she asked. "Can you see him?"

Graham scanned the ground, looking at the trail of blood as it led into the pool of water. "The trail dies at the waterline." A sudden glint of light from Mary Margaret's torch had them all looking in the direction, where they could finally see the figure of John Doe lying on his side in the water.

Mary leapt towards the unconscious man, throwing her torch into the bushes. "Oh my God!" she cursed. Graham also began to run over, calling into his walkie-talkie.

"We need an ambulance!" he told the person on the other end. "At the old toll bridge, as soon as possible!" He reached Mary, alongside Emma and the trio began to gently lift him out of the water. Ahiru, who had both hands clapped on her mouth, could only watch in horror beside Henry. Slowly and steadily, John Doe was lifted to where they were standing and set down on the stones, Mary and Graham muttering lowly beside him.

"Is he going to be okay?" Henry cried. Emma rushed over and turned him away from the sight as his schoolteacher gave the man CPR. They were rewarded a few minutes later, when the clear sound of coughing cut through the silence.

"You saved me..." John Doe wheezed out, looking into Mary Margaret's eyes. Beside Emma, Henry smiled.

"She did it!" Ahiru could only smile as well.

"Yes, I think she did." she said.

As Mary Margaret and the man shared a few more words, the faint whining of sirens grew louder until an ambulance arrived parking atop the bridge. A few men ran out from the back and strapped John Doe up to a stretcher. The rest of them were bundled up into the vehicle as well and they were soon off to the hospital. The jostling ride along with all the running she had done earlier soon made the Ahiru sleepy and she began to doze off.

"Are you alright?" said one of the hospital staff.

"I'm just tired." she yawned. "Wake me up later."

She closed her eyes, letting the sound of the sirens lull her to sleep.

* * *

An uncomfortable nudge in her side woke her up later, and she glanced at her surroundings to find that she was sat in Regina's car. The pain in her side receded and she turned to see Henry sat beside her.

"Wazzat?" she mumbled, still half asleep. "What Happe'd?"

Henry sat up straighter. "It's Prince Charming!" he looked upset. "My mom said he's married!"

"What?" Ahiru suddenly snapped out of her state, more awake than ever. "What do you mean?"

The boy continued to frown. "Well, we got to the hospital and carried you and John Doe inside." he elaborated. "Then my mom brought in this woman who said she was married to Prince Charming! It's the curse, and my mom is trying to stop it breaking!" He didn't get to finish as the driver's door opened as Regina sat down inside. She glanced through the mirror at the young girl in the back.

"I see that Henry managed to get away from you." she deadpanned. Ahiru twitched.

"Sorry, Mayor Mills..." she apologized sheepishly.

"Save it!" the mayor snapped. Then she let out a deep sigh. "Sorry for snapping. I've had enough on today. And you can be assured that Henry WILL be grounded."

"But mom!"

"No buts, Henry. I told you to stay at home and you disobeyed me. That means no TV at all tomorrow, and if I catch you with Emma as well, you'll be grounded even longer." she told him. "Now we are dropping Ahiru off and going straight home!"

"Yes mom..." he sulked.

Regina started the car, but not before looking back at Ahiru. "That said, I won't need you tomorrow. After all, you're busy aren't you? So, just take the day off." she ordered.

"Thanks." Ahiru told her.

"Save it..." Regina said again as they finally drove off.

* * *

_**AN: **A kind of slow chapter with not much action. I wanted this one to be more about character development and how the other cast members act around Ahiru. As you've probably noticed, Regina tends to be a lot nicer to Ahiru that most other people. _

_This is because of spending nearly ten years in close company with her (since Henry was a baby) she actually got attached, not that she'd ever admit it. I wanted to do this to show that deep down, there is still some of the kinder younger pre-Evil Queen in her and to make her later seasons turn to the light side a little more believable._

* * *

**_Next Time:_**

**_The Heart Shard/The Price of Gold_**


End file.
